Washington Redskins Tell Senate Democrats to Stick It Over Name Change

The Washington Redskins have broken their silence regarding the push from Senate Democrats to change the team’s name because they believe it to be racist. On Saturday, team president Bruce Allen wrote a letter to Harry Reid and the gang saying that they’re not changing the name because it’s “respectful” to Native Americans and has a long history of showing pride in the culture.

The three-page letter written to the 49 Senate Democrats titled “The Truth About The Redskins’ Name and Logo” referenced research that concludes “the term Redskins originated as a Native American expression of solidarity.”

A portion of the letter read: “Our use of `Redskins’ as the name of our football team for more than 80 years has always been respectful of and shown reverence toward the proud legacy and traditions of Native Americans.”

In addition to letting the senators know they’re not changing the name, the letter also noted that the team’s logo was designed by Native American leaders as well as citing polls that show Native Americans, and Americans as a whole, support the name. One such poll was from the Associated Press that showed 83% of the nation didn’t want it to change.

This past Thursday, Harry Reid and his cohorts penned a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell arguing that the name needs to be changed, however not a single Republican was invited in on the ploy. This comes after Harry Reid wasted time on the Senate floor last month saying that team owner Daniel Snyder should do what is “morally right” and change the name.

However Snyder has held fast in his decision to not change the name despite growing pressure from liberals, President Obama, and civil rights groups.

In the letter from Thursday, Democrats referenced the NBA’s recent action with team owner Donald Sterling in banning him for life after racially charged comments of his were released. Now they’re saying that Goodell should take formal action to have the name changed.

“We urge you and the National Football League to send the same clear message as the NBA did: that racism and bigotry have no place in professional sports,” read the letter, which did not use the word “Redskins.”

It appears as if the NFL backs Snyder, and a spokesman for the organization said that “the intent of the team’s name has always been to present a strong, positive and respectful image,” in response to the Democrats’ letter.

With so much plaguing our nation, doesn’t seem a little bit silly for lawmakers to be bullying sports teams to change names they’ve had for decades? One would think that things such as the economy, jobs, our veterans, and the numerous scandals should be what occupies the time of the Senate, not something as trivial as this.

Then again, the Democrats’ favorite game is misdirection, so should we really expect anything less?